Sift Blog

So continuing with the summer feel and last week’s blog on water quality, I thought I’d provide some more info on Canterbury water activities: lake and river quality, boating and lifejacket guidelines and beach cams.

The Ecan website is a one stop shop with regards to finding out this type of info. What I discovered when looking at the website is that Ecan have a Facebook page, Canterbury Recreational Water Quality, which provides news and updates on swimming areas. As well, the Ecan website provides a map indicating the water quality of various locations in Canterbury.

Wanting lake and river info? Ecan provide river warnings for toxic algae here as well as on the Facebook mentioned above. While lake warnings are here. I noted though the lake warnings page hasn’t been updated since August 2012.

Now armed with your water quality info, the sun in the sky, you’ve decided on a particular beach to enjoy, why not first check it out on a beach cam to double check conditions before you jump in the car. Thanks to beach cams like this one you will see exactly what the waves are doing and if the conditions are to your liking. This sort of beach cam is great for both surfers and swimmers.

So for you recreational boaters out there, Ecan provides boating rules/guidelines for: Avon-Heathcote Estuary, Kaikoura Harbour, Lake Benmore, Lake Aviemore and Lake Waitaki, Lake Coleridge, Lake Hood, Lake Opuha, Lake Ruataniwha, Lake Tekapo, Lyttelton and Akaroa Harbours, Motunau River, Lake Ellesmere, Timaru Harbour and Waimakariri River.

Don’t forget to wear your lifejacket. No excuses! Here’s some general tips on lifejackets:

• Lifejackets and vests must meet New Zealand Standard 5823: 2005
• Children’s lifejackets are for a body weight of 12kg to 25kg and must have a crotch strap
• Crotch straps on adult lifejackets give additional fit and safety (preventing the life jacket from riding up in rough water)
• When storing your lifejacket keep it dry and clean and out of direct sunlight.
• Before each use, check your lifejacket is in good condition and still fits.

Have a blast on the water and be safe; check conditions and always wear a lifejacket.

Image from: http://ecan.govt.nz/pages/home.aspx

SIFT hosted a function at the BNZ Riccarton Business Hub to launch its 2011/2012 Annual Report last week in Christchurch. The event attracted a good cross section of stakeholders from the waste sector whose focus is on waste minimisation. The function provided guests with an opportunity to check out the report first hand. Chair, Darren Patterson and General Manager, Chris Pickrill talked briefly about the Trust’s activity over the 2011-12 year and its plans for the future before Trustees made the most of a great networking opportunity with those attending.

General Manager, Chris Pickrill and Chair, Darren Patterson talk to function guests

The 2011/2012 Annual Report is available on line. The report explains SIFT’s continued commitment to providing loans and equity investments in projects that will create a greater ability to positively impact future waste minimisation. The report also explains how SIFT used the 2011/12 post earthquake recovery year to review its future direction particularly with respect to its own financial sustainability while advancing three key equity investments designed to reduce current levels of waste to landfill. More detail can be found in the Chair’s Report and the Key SIFT projects section.

If you would like to read more click here to download a PDF copy of the 2011/2012 Annual Report.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to one and all!

So Christmas is just around the corner. Let’s take a minute to think waste minimisation at a time of the year which is usually about over indulging, not about minimising!

Happy Christmas Everyone!

Here’s some ideas on how to minimise while still having a fun and enjoyable Christmas break:

Tip 1 – Make your own decorations. The kids will love it! Search the internet for ideas.

Tip 2 – Give a Bokashi Bucket or worm farm as a present. Bokashi buckets effortlessly compost almost all kitchen wastes including cooked and uncooked meat and fish.

Tip 3 -Send an e-card instead of a hard copy and if you receive Christmas cards, cut them up and use them as gift tags for next year.

Tip 4 – Don’t waste Christmas dinner. What you don’t eat Christmas day, eat the next day or compost.

Tip 5 – Give rechargeable batteries with battery powered gifts.

Tip 6 – Avoid products that come in excessive or non-recyclable packaging.

Tip 7 – Use reusable shopping bags as opposed to plastic bags.

Tip 8 – Use tap water rather than wasting your money on expensive bottled water.

Soda Stream

Tip 9 – Want a treat for the kids? Use Soda Stream rather than buying fizzy bottled drinks. Soda Stream is a more environmentally friendly way to enjoy fizzy drinks. No plastic bottles required!

Image from: http://www.sodastream.co.nz/aboutsodaclub

With Christmas just around the corner most of us who enjoy a glass of wine will be stocking up for the festive season. I therefore thought it was a good time to share with you the award winning sustainability practices of two New Zealand wineries Yealand Estate Wines and Villa Maria Estate.

One of Yealand's Beautiful Vineyards

Yealand Estate has taken the grand prize at the International Green Awards winning the ‘Most Sustainable Medium Business’ making Yealand’s the only New Zealand organisation to be recognised globally by the leading sustainability awards. The International Green Awards identify companies who exhibit leadership and innovation in their sustainability approach. Peter Yealands, founder of Yealand Estate, says his goal has always been to produce world-class wines at the same time as becoming a global leader in sustainable production.

To get an understanding of why Yealand’s won this award here’s an insight into their sustainability initiatives:

Yealand’s use of cutting edge technology and insulation has resulted in the winery being three times more energy efficient than the New Zealand wine industry standard. Yealand’s ultimate goal is to be energy self-sufficient, achieving this through the use of wind turbines, solar panels and grape vine prunings for heating and power generation. Grape vine prunings you say? The prunings are baled and seasoned for six months so they burn cleanly.

Yealand's Babydoll Sheep

Yealand’s introduction of Babydoll miniature sheep are another sustainability innovation. The sheep, who stand at two feet tall – too short to reach the fruit, are effective and organic weeders, mowers and fertilisers.

Compost is another innovation by Yealand’s who distribute over 10,000 tonnes of compost around the vineyard. It composition consists of grape skins, stalks and pips, unprocessed lime, seaweed, bark and crushed mussel shells.

Now it’s not only Yealand Estate Wines that’s been in the news. Villa Maria Estate has recently won a sustainability award claiming the big prize at the 2012 NZI National Sustainable Business Network Awards. Sustainable Business Network Chief Executive Rachel Brown said Villa Maria provides a great example of how successful business and leading-edge sustainable practices compliment each other.

So well done to our highly successful, very tasty and sustainable wineries. Let’s put our glasses together and toast their success!

Plastic shopping bags, who needs them? No one fashion conscious that’s for sure! With the likes of Trelise Cooper offering stylish reusable bags at an affordable price there’s no excuse. Check out the bags available on her website as well as through Countdown, Woolworths and Foodtown supermarkets. Cooper’s latest range for the supermarkets cost only $4.99 each and are made from jute, a strong, natural plant fibre.

Trelise Cooper Reusable Bags

Why the move away from plastic shopping bags? Well the answer lies in the facts. Plastic bags take between 15 and 1000 years to break down. When you think about that along with the fact us Kiwis use one billion plastic shopping bags every year you can soon understand why plastic bags need to go! Another interesting fact to ponder – plastic bags are not free to us with their cost being added to our grocery bills.

One final point that surprised me, being unaware petroleum was used to make plastic bags, was the amount of petroleum used to make one plastic bag can drive a car 115m!

As we know some big retail chains have stopped providing free plastic bags. The Warehouse being one of them. Lots of positives have resulted from this move – a significant drop in the number of bags used by customers as well as the 10c charge for bags being directly given to community groups. While the aim is zero use of plastic bags at least what money is charged for their use is benefiting the wider community.

Applying a charge to plastic bags is a great deterrent as you’ll see from the graphic below. When The Warehouse compared its plastic bag usage in 2010 to 2008 when it first started charging for bags, 500 tonnes of plastic has avoided being dumped in landfills. That’s an 82% reduction in volume. Well done everyone!

Plastic bag usage by The Warehouse 2008 - 2010

Image from: http://www.m2woman.co.nz/read.php/article/trelise-cooper-eco-bags

Image from: http://www.thewarehouse.co.nz/red/content/homepage/communities-and-environment/planet/plastic-bags;